


Christmas Miracles, Unfamiliar Skies

by Diakkomass 2020 (Diakkomass20xx), simpleapricot



Series: Diakkomass 2020 [8]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Christmas, F/F, First Kiss, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27966299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diakkomass20xx/pseuds/Diakkomass%202020, https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpleapricot/pseuds/simpleapricot
Summary: For the ninth day of Diakkomass, we're delighted to share this lovely story by Simpleapricot! In Unfamiliar Skies, Diana's plans for a quiet, relaxed Christmas are turned upside down by Akko, who invites her to spend the holiday season with her family in Japan! True to the holiday cheer, Diana's negative memories surrounding Christmas are soon melted away by her caring girlfriend.- TracedInAirWhen Akko finds out that Diana plans to stay at Luna Nova over Christmas break, she decides to invite her to spend the holidays with her family in Tokyo.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Series: Diakkomass 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034991
Comments: 18
Kudos: 117





	Christmas Miracles, Unfamiliar Skies

Just how far away was the station? Although in normal circumstances Diana would be thrilled to have Akko leaning on her shoulder, these were not normal circumstances.

For one, Akko was drooling.

Even putting that aside (which was difficult), Diana was tired. They had just arrived in Tokyo after a 12-hour flight from London, and Akko had slept for 10 of those hours. Diana, on the other hand, hadn’t slept a wink, and there was only so many times she could watch the Above Nihon Airlines special on why she should visit Shimane Prefecture before her patience began to wear thin. After getting through immigration and customs, picking up their bags, buying a new SIM card, and finding their way to the train, Diana’s patience was gone.

And Akko was back asleep!

Diana couldn’t bear to wake her, so found herself looking at the scenery passing by, the steadily increasing density of lights piercing the night sky telling of the train’s steady approach to the city center. Diana had already memorized the route. Get off at Tokyo Station, take the Yamanote Line six stops north to Nippori Station, get out by the west exit…

_" Tsugi wa Tōkyō, Tōkyō…" _

At the sound, Akko’s eyes snapped open. She grabbed Diana’s hand, which would have set her heart a-flutter had it not been so abrupt. Stopping only to grab their bags, Akko brought Diana to the train door. As the door opened, Akko set off, dragging a sputtering Diana behind her like a cat on a leash. After a whirlwind of two minutes during which Akko looked at a sign precisely zero times and Diana asked what was happening precisely eight times, the door closed behind the two on a packed Ikebukuro-bound Yamanote Line train.

"What on Earth was that?" Only Diana’s noble bearing—and the threat of angry stares from her fellow passengers—kept her from shouting.

"Huh?" Akko tilted her head to the side. "I was changing trains. We need to get on this train to get home."

"I know that!" Oops. Stares. Diana lowered her voice. "I mean what was _that_? That running and pulling and not even looking around?"

Akko adopted an uncharacteristically serious expression. "Rush hour at Tokyo Station is not to be trifled with. There is no time to read signs." Diana didn’t have it in her to argue any more, and she settled for counting the stations until they reached their stop. When they arrived, Diana was once again whisked away (still not romantic) and after another blur of stairs, gates, and more stairs, found herself walking through an intimate neighborhood, dimly lit by the glow of streetlights. Even though it was cold, huddling together was a bit awkward while carrying luggage, so they walked side-by-side. More than once, Diana was heartened by the sight of Akko bounding ahead to marvel at a shop’s Christmas lights, no matter how simple.

Christmas…oh goodness.

Diana forgot something. She was going to meet Akko’s parents.

* * *

Diana had been perfectly content to spend her winter break as she always did, buried under a stack of library books reviewing the materials for next semester. Home was only a few hours away, but going back would just be upsetting.

Of course, Akko was none too pleased when she found out about any of this. Ever the troublemaker, Amanda had brought it up at dinner a week before break started. The response was nothing if not predictable.

"What? You’re staying here for Christmas? To _study?_"

Diana kept her expression steady. "Yes. The time is invaluable for advancing my studies. And, besides, Luna Nova is lovely during the holidays."

"Who cares how valuable your time is? You can’t spend your Christmas alone!"

"I won’t be alone. The faculty host a dinner for the students who remain at school. Professor Finnelan cooks a delicious—"

"You have Christmas dinner with _Finnelan?_ That’s worse than being alone!" Akko was standing—and yelling. Diana could only hope that the staff would not pass the insult along. A quick glance around revealed, to her surprise, that her friends were nodding along to Akko’s argument.

"You should go back…no…you should come with me to Japan!" Diana was dumbstruck. Akko wanted to fly her halfway around the world after they had been dating for a grand total of three months? Her bewilderment was interrupted by Akko bolting out of the room.

"I’m calling my parents!"

Evidently, Akko’s parents were as impulsive as their daughter. The tickets were bought in less than 15 minutes.

* * *

A week later, Diana found herself standing in front of Akko’s house, shivering, exhausted, and tired. Wait, didn’t those last two mean the same thing?

Never mind, Diana would pull off this meeting without a hitch. And then she would go to sleep. When Akko’s parents opened the door, Diana would extend a brief greeting in Japanese, thank them for allowing her into their home…

Oh, Akko had already opened the door and walked in. Diana trudged in after her, needing to backtrack after nearly forgetting to take off her shoes. When she finally turned again to face the hallway, she was face-to-face with an older man who had familiar red eyes. 

"Hello Diana!" The man shouted in English as he grabbed Diana’s hand in an enthusiastic handshake. "I’m Akko’s father, Hiroyuki, and this is my—" he called out to Akko for a translation, "—wife, Misaki."

Diana tripped over her words for a moment before mumbling through her planned response. "_Konbanwa, watashi wa_ — __"

She was cut off by a similarly enthusiastic greeting from Akko’s mother, this time entirely in Japanese. Some snippets of conversation were exchanged between mother and daughter before Diana was dragged upstairs—by Akko’s mother this time. Akko shouted after them with a chuckle.

"I told them you were tired!"

Diana was ushered up into a bedroom, shown to a futon laid out on the floor, and watched as Akko’s mother disappeared back down the stairs. Ordinarily Diana would have protested, or at least taken some time to process what had happened. But she was far too tired. For now, she would sleep.

* * *

When Diana finally came to, the sun was low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the room. The only sounds she could hear were the occasional rumbles of cars passing on the street below. For a moment, she let herself sit in the peculiar calm that comes with being awake while the rest of a city sleeps. Then, she gingerly made her way downstairs.

There, she found nobody. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Akko’s cat—Jiji, if Diana remembered correctly—was right back to sniffing at the new arrival. She looked around the house. It was clean, although the kitchen table was cluttered with books. A familiar sight caught her eye near the far wall of the kitchen. It was Akko. In fact, it was a lot of Akkos. The wall was crammed full of photos of the Kagari family, from Misaki winning an award to Hiroyuki doing the cheesy "holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa" photo. 

What got Diana’s attention the most, however, were the photos of her girlfriend. There was one of her browsing what looked suspiciously like a Shiny Chariot fan site Diana had frequented as a kid, another of Akko holding up a Chariot card—Shiny Rod?—outside of a school, full of pride. Diana chuckled at how perfectly in-character the photos were. Akko became more recognizable as Diana paced down the wall. She held up her Luna Nova acceptance letter, hugged her friends after the Samhain Festival, and, finally, stood next to Diana at the edge of space.

Diana lingered on the last photo, only to be interrupted by the sound of a door being rudely slammed open. The person whose photos covered so much of the wall appeared in the door frame, kicked off her shoes, almost tripped over the step, and bounded over to Diana. 

"You’re finally awake!"

Finally? How long had she slept? Diana’s eyes darted around the room until they settled on the microwave clock.

_17:04_

Diana had slept for 16 hours. No wonder the house was empty.

"See, I knew you were tired. I could tell because you didn’t go all—" she put on a haughty British accent, "—'Greetings Mr. and Mrs. Kagari, it is my distinct honor to meet you, the parents of the woman I am courting. I offer my humble thanks for welcoming me into your home.’"

It was uncomfortably close to what Diana had planned.

"Now let me use my powers of divination to figure out what you want next." Akko took out her wand and waved it dramatically. "You. Are. _Hungry!_"

Akko was a veritable oracle. Diana was very hungry.

"Not to worry, fair maiden!" The British accent was back. "Lady Akko has just the solution." With a performer’s flourish, Akko produced a bag full of convenience store food. 

* * *

Diana was still eating when Akko’s parents came barging through the door. The house was a whirlwind of greetings, hugs, and catching up on the day’s events, while Diana stayed on the edges and nibbled on her sandwich. Of course, the fun new arrival couldn’t avoid the spotlight forever, and soon she was barraged (with some translation help from a smirking Akko) with questions and comments.

"How long have you been doing magic?"

"Are you really a noble?"

"How did you two meet?"

Nothing Diana couldn’t handle.

"We always knew you would get together. Akko was talking about you so much from the first time she called home!"

Now it was time to put that aristocratic social training to work. First step: avoidance.

"Ah, when Akko arrived at school, some people had their doubts." Second step: redirection.

"But after the Samhain Festival, people began to come around. I see you have a photo over there!" They turned around in unison. Diana watched with anticipation as their gaze moved over the photos on the wall.

"We do! Oh! Come look at this other one! It’s of little Akko here learning English…" Bingo. Akko’s childhood stories were guaranteed to draw attention and, judging by Akko’s reaction to what she was asked to translate, worth remembering for later.

Distractions can only last for so long, however, and soon the topic moved back to Diana.

"Is your family really fine with you being away for Christmas?" Ah. This was uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Diana kept her tone measured.

"Christmas has never been all that important to my family. There’s no need for me to be home." Akko seemed to be a bit more hesitant in relaying this message, but translated it nonetheless. It seemed to satisfy her parents, who continued on to more pleasant topics of conversation.

"So, have you two kissed yet?"

It was going to be a long night.

And, for the record, no.

* * *

Diana wasn’t surprised when Akko challenged her claim that her family didn’t care about Christmas. The puzzled—and sometimes accusatory—glances Akko shot Diana’s way for the rest of the night had been characteristically unsubtle. 

She _was_ surprised that Akko decided to bring it up in the middle of Diana’s conversation with Akko’s parents.

"You’re lying!"

"Huh?" Meeting her girlfriend’s eyes, she recognized a familiar look of determination on Akko’s face. 

"About your family and Christmas! You love traditions. You love helping people. You love holidays! I know how hard you worked on the Samhain Festival, and you expect me to believe that you’re happy spending Christmas alone studying?"

An ordinary person would have allowed Diana the chance to respond. Atsuko Kagari was not an ordinary person. The verdict having been rendered, she moved directly to the sentence.

"There’s only one solution." She gestured grandly. "We’re going have a big Kagari Christmas celebration, just for you!" Akko was standing on her chair now. With another flourish, she threw herself off balance, and Diana jumped up to catch her. Distracted by the near fall, Diana missed one critical detail.

Akko’s parents were nodding along.

* * *

For Diana, the following days were unsurprising, if enjoyable. She crisscrossed Tokyo with her girlfriend. They took in a view of the city from a skyscraper, visited a shrine, and paid a visit to one of the only stores in the world that still carried Shiny Chariot merchandise.

As the fateful day approached, however, Diana couldn’t shake the fact that she was hiding something. Akko seemed just a bit more distant too. Their excursions became shorter and Akko’s trips to see her old friends longer. As the two strolled hand-in-hand through a beautifully illuminated city street on Christmas Eve, the silence between them was palpable. Something had to change.

"Akko, can we have a seat over here?" Diana gestured to a bench. They sat, the distance between them punctuated by their still-entwined hands. 

"You were right Akko, back then."

"About how _Metamorphie Faciesse_ is the best spell?"

"No, not about that. When you were talking about Christmas." Diana took a moment to look around her, her eyes lingering on the happy families passing by. "I was hiding something." Akko squeezed her hand.

"As it seems you have figured out, I…don’t have a particularly good history with Christmas. I love my mother, but with her illness, the holidays were…difficult." Diana chose her words carefully. "She wasn’t really able to prepare any of the traditional Christmas festivities. The staff tried, but it just wasn’t the same. Every year, it seemed, I would trim the tree alone. Of course, Daryl was never any help. Heirlooms fetch a higher price near Christmas." Tears welled up in Diana’s eyes, but she still spoke clearly.

"It was always the toughest season. I know how hard she tried. But when I saw everyone else having the Christmas I always dreamed of…it was hard. I got angry, and I’m ashamed of it. I still don’t like to tell people. I’m afraid they’ll think less of her."

Akko remained silent, just holding Diana’s hand.

"So, there you have it, my dark Christmas secret." Diana gave an empty chuckle. "It probably sounds stupid...but it still hurts."

Akko pulled Diana into a tight embrace, and Diana thought she felt a teardrop on her shoulder. After a few moments, Akko forced out her words through the tears.

"Stop being so—" She choked up. "so _hard_ on yourself. You both tried your best."

Diana didn’t respond.

"It’s okay to be angry. You know that, right?"

Still, nothing.

"Diana?"

Diana nodded vigorously against Akko’s shoulder. Akko pulled them apart, and one pair of kind eyes met another. The tension in Diana’s body started to fall away.

"Well…now I just have to give you the best Christmas ever, right?"

* * *

Christmas Eve proper started off well enough. The Kagaris had Kansas Famous Chicken for dinner. Akko _insisted_ that it was a Japanese Christmas tradition. Diana was…skeptical, to say the least. In any case, the fried chicken was delicious. The talk around the table swung wildly from Akko’s baby stories to how her parents had met after Hiroyuki lost his train pass. In return, Diana shared some stories about her love of Shiny Chariot, to the astonishment of Akko’s parents. To Diana’s surprise, her voice became a full-time member of the chorus of laughter that had formed at the kitchen table. 

So, Diana was more than a little disappointed when Akko insisted that the two had to run off somewhere. They went through Akko’s neighborhood, passing by couples on romantic Christmas Eve dates. Akko brought Diana onto one train, then another, then another. The car slowly emptied out, leaving Akko and Diana nearly alone.

A sea of office buildings rose up around the train, and when they stepped out into the cold winter night, the surroundings seemed strangely familiar. Akko led her down a maze of streets before they finally stopped at a park gate.

"OK, Diana, close your eyes!" Diana did as she was told. They walked into the park, off the sidewalk, and onto a patch of grass.

"Three, two, one… _Luminosa!_" Diana opened her eyes, and she froze in a moment of awe.

The whole park was illuminated by twinkling, magical lights. They danced with each other, forming Christmas trees and galloping reindeer. Above the pair flowed the northern lights, and the Big Dipper appeared shining in the sky. Beneath it all, Akko beamed.

"Merry Christmas!"

Diana could hardly contain her excitement. "It’s…beautiful. It’s amazing. It’s…"

She definitely recognized this place. Wait, was it…?

"Is this where Shiny Chariot’s show was?" Akko nodded vigorously. 

The lights began to swim in Diana’s vision as tears filled her eyes.

"…Thank you." Now it was Diana’s turn to hug Akko. "It means…everything to me." The couple held each other for one magical moment, then another.

There was only one thing that could make this better.

Diana waved her wand, and the lights whirled about before forming a shining sprig of mistletoe above the pair. 

Akko's eyes lit up at the sight, before gently drifting shut as she closed the short distance between them. Diana turned her head down ever so slightly, meeting Akko’s lips in a soft kiss.

For Diana, it was nothing short of a Christmas miracle.


End file.
